PARTNER SEARCH
PARTNER SEARCH Date
Family Name
Address
City
www address
Telephone
Organisation Name
Organisation Type
02
27
Deadline
jjjj
mm
dd
Admon
Department of Biology, Technion
Haifa
http://biology1.technion.ac.il/prot
eomics/index.htm
972-48293407
Technion-Israel Inst. of
Technology
First Name
Postcode
Country
E-mail
Arie
32000
Israel
admon@tx.technion.ac.il
Fax
972-48225153
Consultancy
Industry
50-249
Food
Organisation Size
Organisation Sector
Description of
Organisation
2006
Research
< 10
Agriculture
Education
10-49
Biotechnology
Non
Commercial
250-500
Life
Sciences
Technology
Transfer
Other
> 500 employees
Medicine, Health
The Technion is a university specializing in science, technology and medicine
PROJECT Main objectives and results of research:
Title of project
Keywords
Thematic Priority in FP6
Project description
Including -if possible innovative aspects and
expected results
DEVELOPMENT OF SUBUNIT VACCINE FOR AVIAN INFLUENZA
MHC peptides, vaccine, antibodies, proteomics
SSP-5B INFLUENZA- STREP
An important approach for reducing the mortality rate and the negative
economical impact of avian influenza is by developing effective vaccines
to treat human, farm animals and birds. A live or attenuated virus vaccine
is likely to be the most effective. However, its production and
administration to the human population at risk and to other animals
(including wild animals) is likely to be a slow and difficult process. An
alternative is to develop a subunit vaccine, based on viral peptides or
proteins which can be rapidly produced as synthetic molecules or
recombinant proteins which would poise a reduced risk to the vaccinated
people or animals. Since the disease originate in bird and possibly
passes through pig hosts as well, better understanding of the interactions
between the avian flu and the immune systems of these animals may
open the way for the design of more efficacious vaccines.
This project proposes to develop a subunit vaccine based on
immunogenic MHC peptide antigens (T cell epitopes) and on viral
proteins which are the targets of antibodies in people or animals.
The project's main objectives are:
1. Identification of the MHC peptide repertoires of the birds and
establish their consensus binding motifs
2. Identification of MHC peptides derived from the virus proteins
and presented by bird MHC molecules that elicit T cell responses
3. Identification of the viral proteins that are the targets of serum
antibodies of people or animal that survive the disease
4. Based on the identification of these MHC peptides and proteins,
to develop subunit vaccines that can be administered to humans,
farm animals or birds.
A potential benefit of this project is the development of vaccines that can
be mass-produced and administered even to wild animals. Improved
understanding of the immunology of the avian influenza may help future
design of molecules that could be used as components of vaccines for
PARTNER SEARCH
other strains of influenza and other viruses transmitted from birds to
humans.
The innovative aspect of this research is that the use of large repertoires
of MHC peptides repertoire of birds, pigs and other farm animals will be
established and expanded. This will enable the design of vaccines for
different transmittable diseases. The approach will be based on
combining immunology with proteomics and with virology to perform
large-scale analyses of the MHC peptidome (the complete repertoire of
MHC peptides presented by each of the alleles) and serological
proteomics (the complete repertoire of proteins against which antibodies
are presents in the studied organism). The identified MHC peptides and
proteins will be tested for their efficacy to elicit immune responses and
thus to serve as vaccine candidates.
Partnership (SMEs and
RTD performers already
involved)
Profile of Partner sought e.g. SMEs / University / hospitals etc. All of these
Required Expertise
Immunologist and virologist, especially specialist in avian immunology and
virology
PLEASE FILL IN THE EXPRESSION OF INTEREST-FORM AND RETURN IT TO:
Dr. Eva Rockman, ISERD Israel, E-mail: eva@iserd.org.il
Ms. Smadar Hirsh, ISERD Israel, E-mail: smadar@iserd.org.il
Ms. Adva Schwartz-Ossad, ISERD Israel, E-mail: adva@iserd.org.il